No Such Thing As Normal
by Sylintra
Summary: I wish... I wish there are no vampires in this world, and no hunters. Just us, living a normal life... together. Normality. Ah... wouldn't that be nice. AU YuukixZero, YuukixKaname sibling sweetness
1. Chapter 1

No Such Thing As Normal

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, but if I have a choice, I want to own Zero.

* * *

A wave of weariness washes over me as I collapse on to the soft, four post bed. A faint whiff of roses fills the air as the sky starts to lighten outside of the window. I run my hand over the silky red sheets and glance around the room. The night dorm sure is different. Everything about the it screams prestige and wealth. Skilfully carved filigree twists to form the antique furniture, and carpets with elaborate patterns cover the floor. Even the ceiling is filled with flowers and leaves made of plaster. It feels like being in a palace rather than a dorm, but I guess that's no surprise considering it is used to house vampire nobles.

Or a princess like me...

Ahh, the perks of being a pureblood. A soft sigh left me, and I feel my strength draining. I start to reflect back on what happened today. Being an uncharismatic leader is such a hard work, and to be passed down the title of class president from Sara is just plain embarrassing. Kaname onii-sama, my betrothed, has left me, while Zero... a hunter and a pureblood could never be together, right? An overwhelming feeling of loneliness consumes me, and a single tear falls from my eyes. How did it end up like this? What is this cruel twist of fate! My throat suddenly feels dry from despair, so much so that I jump out of my bed; bump my bedside lamp in the process; and grab my bottle containing Blood tablets in desperation; emptying it straight into my throat in one large gulp, coughing and nearly choking, I force the tablets down.

"Not delicious at all..."

Why is this happening! I cover my face with my hands, squeezing my eyes shut and want to scream...

No!

No, I must get my emotions under control! Now breathe deeply. In and out, in and out...

Control!

Or the chairman will be troubled with replacing the windows again next morning. Ack, I attempt to distract my mind with the image of the chairman fussing over the windows and giving a lecture about being mindful of school property and that the school funds are not bottomless. I chuckle at the thought, since when does the school have money problems...

I manage to calm down after a couple of minutes and lie back onto the bed, propping my arm over my eyes. I wish... I wish there are no vampires in this world, and no hunters. Just us, living a normal life... together. Normality. Ah... wouldn't that be nice.

I smile at the thought, and close my eyes...

* * *

Beep, Beep, BEEP!

A sluggish hand reaches out from under the covers, searching for the culprit that's disturbing the peace... and then unintentionally knocking it off the desk and onto the floor. That of course does not deter the alarm clock's determination to wake up it's owner, and it decides to roll to an inconveniently distance just out of reach. Yuuki emerges from the blankets and feels around on the floor with her hands, her long chocolate coloured hair is sticking up in all directions from the twists and turns from the previous all-so-real dream. She finally switches off the alarm while somehow balancing her lower half of the body on the bed, but that doesn't go quite go as planned as her arms give way, and she falls off the bed with a thump.

"Awww!"

* * *

I wince and rub my hurt shoulder. Ah... what was it again? Mmm, there was Onii-san, and Zero, and vampires... oh gosh, too much Twilight I think... And then my eyes widen, I was in a relationship with Onii-san! Well, if we are unrelated I guess it would be... kinda nice, I mean he is good-looking, smart, kind, and would be the best boyfriend in the world, I mean he is the bestest, smartest... I wonder into fantasy for a bit. The fact that he is related to me is a secret, even Zero doesn't know about it. It saddens me that I can't see him as often as a sibling is allowed to because of our unfortunate situation that has been brought upon us by very complicate events... I guess I really do have a brother complex, but this relationsh-, errr, no. And Zero... I facepalmed. This dream is a whole lot of awkwardness...

Then it strikes me that I am sitting on the floor of my bedroom spacing out thinking about a stupid dream. If I want to get to school on time, I must get a move on.

I stumble into the bathroom and start to take off my pink pyjamas. Today is a very special day, it is my first day in senior high in Cross Academy, a prestigious school for the elite students. I worked very hard so that I would pass the entrance exam to get in! I look at my new Cross Academy uniform reflecting in the bathroom mirror. It's grey coloured with black trimmings, and cute little silver rose buttons that are a little too fiddly to button. I stare into the mahogany eyes staring back at me and roughly run a comb through my long hair. Mm perhaps I should cut it, it's getting rather cumbersome. But then... Onii-san loves my long hair... mmm. It's not hard to see why. Long, voluminous brown locks fell from my hand and reach down just below my waist, not one split end in sight and glows with a shade of honey in the morning sun. Well I guess I was never a girly girl. I decide to put a simple black headband on just to get it out of my face. That would do I guess. I smiled, and readjusted the bow at my neck. I can finally go to the same school as my older brother! I barely see him in the pass few years and now I get to see him everyday!

A knock on the door breaks my thoughts, "Ditzy head! Kaien has finished cooking breakfast, you better come down now or we are going to eat it all!" I can hear Zero smirking on the other side of the door.

"Ah wait, I'm coming! Don't you dare eat everything!"

I finish up quickly and rush down stairs and into the kitchen. The smell of bacon,egg, and toast reaches my nose, and father is in his usual kitten apron and ponytail, happily waving around a spatula. Zero on the other hand, is trying to murder a sausage with his knife.

"Ah Yukki! You look so pretty in your new uniform, ahh my little girl is no longer a little girl any more, daddy is so proud!" I can't help but smile at his silliness. He might have been my adoptive father, but he is father nonetheless. Zero is sorta just staring at me, holding the murdered sausage half way in his mouth. Zero is never the one to follow the dress code, his grey jacket is unbuttoned, showing a studded white belt with attached silver chains. The top two buttons of his white shirt are undone, revealing a flower like tattoo with what looks like dagger pointing inwards from the petals. His red tie is in a loose knot around his neck. Silver earring lined his ears, like scales off a dragon's back. He does looked quite handsome in the Cross Academy uniform I thought. it is a wonder how he got into the school, since he seems to skip classes a lot. When I asked him why, he just said "I can't leave a ditzy girl alone all by herself, she will surely get into a lot of trouble," with his usual smirk. I have no idea what he is thinking half of the time, though I can't really blame him...

"Thanks dad!"

Mr. Cross is beaming after hearing my comment, and then turns to Zero, "See Yukki-chan called me dad, you should too sometime your know!" With a pout on his face.

Zero suddenly stands up and slams his palms on the table, "There is no way I would ever call you da- da... You should be lucky that I call you Kaien! You know what, I will call you ponytailed alien from now on!" He turns quickly and stumps off, "I'm finished so I'm going to pack my bag," and walks off with his hands in his pockets.

"Zerooooooooooo!" A look of despair flashes across his face, but soon recovers as Zero exited the room. "Ah, always a ray of sunshine," jokes father, and turns to serve me breakfast.

"It's not just jam on toast today I see."

"Well, I know how special today is for you, so I want to do something special as well." A gentle smile is plastering on his face. "But you need to hurry, or you are going to be late, and we can't have that now can we."

I finish quickly and then pick up my bag, while Zero leans against the door waiting patiently.

We are about the leave, when we are suddenly attacked by a pair of keys dangling in front of our eyes. "Do let my drive you two to school, I am the chairman after all- "

"No! Not in this lifetime, not when you are like... like this!" Said Zero, pointing at the over sized coat and the frilly shawl.

"Yuuuuuki!"

"Sorry dad, but I have dignity."

"Not your too~~" The chairman does his best impression of an abandoned man with all of his hopes crushed.

Feeling just a tad bit sorry, I am about to reach out and apologise, when Zero roughly grabs my hand and pulls me out of the door. "For god's sakes, it's only 15 minutes walk..." Zero grumbles under his breathe.

* * *

Author's note: Mm, I must confess I've had one of these dreams where I had a relationship with a family member and then vigorously brushed my teeth the next morning. This is AU so the idea of Kaname being more than a brother is, er, no. Sorry Kaname/Yuuki fans. Without the different day/night class I have decided to make the uniforms grey with black trimmings just because. It's a pretty normal uniform colour anyway. Also, sorry about my spelling/tenses, English is my second language. :P


	2. Chapter 2

No Such Thing As Normal

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, but it doesn't mean I don't want to own Zero.

* * *

I follow silently as Zero charges ahead, the chains on his belt clicking in tune with his long stride. My eyes move from our holding hands to Zero's broad shoulders. He's really hitting his growth spurt. I remember just four years ago, he arrived at our doorstep. He was my height then, but now... At least a head taller. His shoulders have broadened, no to mention his voice is now deeper. I chuckle silently as I remember his voice box cracked and squeaked for 3 months. He only ever speaks when necessary, but during that time, he avoided talking like a plague. I guess even Zero can be embarrassed.

* * *

Five years ago...

It was a cold night, the wind was howling and a snow storm was brewing outside of the window, I was about to go to bed after a long day, and a series of loud knocks reverberated through the house.

"A visitor at this hour?" said father with a worrying voice.

The knocks came again, this time louder and more desperate. "Coming, coming!", father ran to the door and swung it open. I followed him out of curiosity. Snowflakes drifted in and the wind howled. "Oh dear, detective Yagari, come in and go sit by fire, it must be freezing!"

"I cannot stay long Kaien, I'm still on duty. I need a place for this boy to stay." He leaned down, and pushed a pale little boy from behind him. I was shocked to see a boy, about my age, wearing clothes straight out of lost and found bin, with battered bruises on him and a bandaged neck. His eyes caught my attention, filled with hatred, with a hint of sadness swirling in a whirlpool of purple.

"This is Kiryu Zero, his mother attempted to kill him, but ended up committing suicide, right in front of him no less. His wounds were taken care of but... he has been through so much, and I don't want to just hand him over to the child services in his fragile state... I think you knew their family before the divorce..."

"Ah yes, the Kiryus; they were such a lovely family back then, but after the incident I lost contact with both of them. How did it come to this? And I never thought that she would be the type to do something like this..."

"I'd be happy to chat with you about the details later, but I need to get back to the crime scene."

"Wait, I will come with you, I'm out of practice but I'm sure I can be of some use... Yuuki!"

I raised my head and walked over. "I need to go out for a bit. This is Zero, he will be staying with us for now. Could you please show him the bathroom and the guest room?"

I nodded hesitantly. By then the boy, Zero, had become very expressionless, and almost lost in his own world. White skin, white hair, and long lashes framed his violet globes. I couldn't help but think that he was quite beautiful, and fragile at the same time. I slowly reached out my hand and hesitated again. "Can I touch you?" I asked, and wondered why I did, it was as if I wanted to confirm that he would not shatter under my touch. I took the lack of response as yes, and took him to the bathroom. I took off his ill fitted jacket and shirt. The bruises on him contrasted starkly to his white skin, and the neck was heavily bandaged. What happened to you? I remember thinking. He must be cold, his hair was wet from the snow, the rest of him was still covered with grime from the storm. "There is hot water in the bath." No response.

Perhaps a wipe down, a shower is definitely out of the question. So I took a sponge, and slow wiped the dirt off him. After I was done, I realised that his eyes were on me.

Ah, still here I see.

I wondered if I should ask him to change out of his sweat pants, but thought against it seeing that he is in no condition to do anything himself. I guess he can sleep in that... Then I lead him to the guest room, and settled him down. He turned his back to me straight away, and I wondered if I should leave...

When I suddenly felt an urge to cry.

Something in me clicked at the moment, he was just like me, his parents were taken away, and now he was all alone. I was lucky; I still had my brother. He had nothing. A strong, protective instinct that I didn't know existed welled up in me. With that thought, I decided that I wanted to help him, support him, and protect him. So I just sat there, and began to stroke his head, he froze, but then visibly relaxed. "I remember someone who is very gentle patted my head like that when I was afraid."

I didn't know how long I was there, I vaguely remembered Kaien coming in, and carrying me to my own room.

* * *

He will surely throw a fit if I call him beautiful now. Zero ended up staying at our home since he had settled in so well. The papers were complete for father to be his foster parent, although he blatantly rejects being adopted. My legs are beginning to get sore from the speed of Zero's power walking, and I try to pull my hand away. Zero, suddenly realising that he has been holding my hand the entire time, let go abruptly and then puts his hand back into his pocket, but slows down so that I can keep up.

"You know Zero, you should really consider getting adopted by Kaien, I mean he might be a little childish and is occasionally eccentric, but he really cares about you, and we already think of you as a part of the family..."

Zero cuts me off with his glare, and mumbles, "I will not call him father and you are not my sister." He speeds up again, and turns his face away from me. Ack! I really wish he would let me and my father in!

After a couple of minutes we reach the wrought iron gates that is the entrance of Cross Academy. "Oh wow it's nicer than I remember from the opened day, without all the store clutter and posters. Let's see, I think our class is in that building over there..." Before I could finish, I notice that quite a number of people stop and seem to be entranced by what is going on behind us. Both Zero and I turn, and my eyes widen. Kaname is getting out of a black limo right behind us, along with a blonde, green-eyed senpai that I don't recognise, from what I hear the family that adopted him also has a son. Ah so that must be him. I turn my attention back to onii-san. He's immaculate as always, and gives off an air of authority. The student council president has arrived. Chocolate hair and mahogany eyes that mirror my own suddenly meet mine and my heart races with excitement.

"Takuma, you go on ahead, I will catch up later." and then he heads my way. "Yuuki, I see that you are well, and Kiryu-kun", Kaname smiles gently, and nods at Zero, acknowledging his presence. An unspoken tension flows between the two.

"Um you know, I would be calling you Kaname-senpai from now on..." I look away feeling slightly embarrassed. Suddenly my words are caught in my throat and I'm not sure what to say. It's been months since I've last seen him and I have so many things to tell him, but my mind suddenly goes blank.

Kaname leans down so that he can whisper in my ear. "I can't talk for long. I need to go and prepare for the opening ceremony. Come to the senior's library during lunch, I'm sure I can escape my duties and talk to you."

I smile at him brightly and nod, watching him as he waves apologetically and turns to walk towards the seniors building. Zero's voice brings me out of my daze, "Come on, class is going to start," with a slight annoyance in his tone.

* * *

Author's Note: I made it so that Yuuki sees Kaien as more of a father than in the manga. I think in the manga Yuuki subconsciously knew that she wasn't really a human, so she never saw Kaien as a father. Since everyone is human here, there isn't a divide like that.

I was going fit all of the flashbacks in one go so I could go into some terribly mundane school life, but I realised that since I have to rewrite Yuuki and Kaname's past it's just too difficult to fit it all in with one go. So the next chapter is completely devoted to them.


	3. Chapter 3

No such thing as normal

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, this story universe however, I do.

* * *

"Oh was that Yuuki you were talking to, Kaname?" Takuma asks, with a carefree smile as always.

"Ah yes, I haven't seen her in a long time. Excuse me for a bit, I need to finalise my speech." I sit down at my desk and pretend to read my speech again. I already know it backwards, but I need to change the subject and collect my thoughts.

It's been 10 long years, no, 11 now since that fateful day... The day when Yuuki and my parents were murdered.

* * *

Eleven years ago...

The dinner was cooked but Father wasn't home yet. Mother had a slightly worried expression on her face, but tried her best to hide it. Something was obviously wrong but my 7-year-old mind soon waved off the insecurities. Father may be late occasionally, but he always came home. Yuuki, however, was completely oblivious to the tension in the air. She was only 5 at the time, and was doing her best to con some ice-cream before dinner with puppy dog eyes.

Little did I know, that day changed our lives forever.

Mother's mobile rang and she picked it up immediately. Yuuki, finally sensing that something was wrong, stopped her ice-cream chant. A worried expression, then horror, and finally determination flashed across Mother's face. "We've... sss... found out... sss coming here, get out now! Protect the kids... sss I will buy time... sss... I love you." And with that the phone went dead. She looked at Yuuki, and then looked at me.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Is something wrong, what's wrong with daddy, is he ok?" Yuuki was on the verge of crying, suddenly clinging to mother's legs. Mother showed a sad expression on her face and bend down, gently patted her head.

"Kaname, come here." While maintaining eye contact with Yuuki. "I didn't want it to come down to this, but it seems that I have no choice..." Mother hugged both of us. "Kaname, you've always been exceptional. Father and I are very proud of you. I know you have been sensing a secret in the family, and I wanted to keep you two out of it for as long as possible. Kaien Cross is a dear friend of ours and he will be picking up you two. You can trust him, but no one else!" At this point Yuuki started crying, and I was at lost for words.

"What is going on Mother, why are you talking like that, is Father in big trouble?" She hushed me with a finger on my lips. "Please take a good care of Yuuki."

Sounds of gunshots rang near the front lawn, and a loud squeak from tires over the pavement put us on high alert. "Back door now!" Mother pushed us towards the laundry door.

She opened the draw and took out a gun while holding a crying Yuuki in her arms, I on the other hand was desperately trying to find the key to the back door. Upon the door's opening, a man emerged from the side of the house. Mother reacted quickly and fired. "Take Yuuki, Kaname!" I heard banging, and men calling out for help to bring down the door. Then I heard a sadistic laugh, "One down, three to go." More footsteps seemed to be heading our way, and panic was starting to set in. Out of the blue, a white van came to a squeaking stop, "Juri! Get in! I will cover you!" A blond man in glasses that I hadn't seen before called desperately from the drivers seat. Relief washed over her face. "Ka-"

BANG!

Time stopped. Blood dripped down from her forehead. More blood. Mother, as if in slow motion, started falling. And behind her, a man was holding a smoking gun at the back door.

Adrenaline rushed in and I could hear the blood pumping in my ears. NO! Without thinking, I took the heavy gun from Mother hands and stepped out of her shadow, lifted it and pulled the trigger. The repercussion from the shot rattle the bones in my fingers, and I closed my eyes as the gun fired.

BANG!

When I opened my eyes again, I was shocked. "Uncle Rido?" He was as shocked as I, never expecting anyone, let alone a little boy, to step out behind Juri and shoot him in the stomach. The shock left me paralysed, and before I knew it, strong arms grabbed me and Yuuki, and shoved us into the back of the van.

In the dimmed light, the reality of it all suddenly dawned on me... Mother was gone, so was Father, it was just me...and Yuuki... Wait, Yuuki! I suddenly looked down at my sister. Mother's blood covered her face and her hair, her eyes in horror as she studied the blood covering her hands. "Yuuki! Yuuki!" I called out to her, and shook her shoulders. She vaguely acknowledged me, turned to look at me with eyes filled with tears and despair, and suddenly fell unconscious in my arms. "Nooo, Yuuki!" I held her tightly to my chest, my face distorted. It was then and there that I promised myself: "I am going to protect you Yuuki, even if it is the last thing I do, even if it kills me." It was a promise that I would never break.

* * *

"... and here is Kaname Ichijo, he is currently the president of the student council." My queue to come on stage. Well the students are getting very restless, watching a man with a interesting sense of dress style mumbling on about our school's ideologies. I can hear the gasps from the audience, especially from the girls. I give them my best presidential smile and proceed to give my speech.

"Good morning students and teachers, as Mr. Cross have just mentioned, I am the president of the student council..." I scan the audience for Yuuki, and I easily find her next to Kiryu, much to my dismay. That head of white hair sticks out like a sore thumb, glaring at me. Brushing my annoyance aside, my gaze softens when it lands on Yuuki, holding on to my every word with a look of admiration. Has it really been 11 years, Yuuki is no longer that scared little girl any more... Ah that's right...

* * *

I followed Kaien as he carried Yuuki into the house. I was in a state of panic. "She is not waking up! She needs a doctor! I can't lose her, she is all I got left-" Suddenly I felt Yuuki's hand move, and slowly, her eyes opened. I was so relieved that I collapsed onto the floor.

"She was probably going through shock, there isn't any physical wound on her, I think we should clean up," Kaien pointed to our blood stained clothes.

A glint of gold caught my eye, I saw mother's necklace in Yuuki's coat pocket. How did that get there, it was a wedding anniversary gift, she never took it off... I swallowed my grief that's threatening to overwhelm me again and looked at Kaien. "Tell me what is going on, don't treat me like a kid, I have a right to know!" I stumbled from exhaustion.

This man called Kaien looked at me straight in the eye, and then glanced at the necklace in my hand. "I will. I think I owe that much to your mother. You don't need to worry, you and your sister needs rest, I will tell you everything tomorrow."

* * *

Kaien sat me down while Yuuki was still fast asleep. She hadn't spoken a word since yesterday, and seemed to be in her own world. She looked at me but didn't acknowledge me, and I felt my heart break. I wondered if I should trust this man, but I didn't have a choice and Mother seemed to think highly of him. He promised that Yuuki will see a doctor when everything calmed down, but in back of my mind, I was unsure if it would do any good.

"I think I should start at the beginning." Kaien's voice broke through my thoughts.

"I don't think this is something I should tell a little boy... but after what you have been though, a proper explanation is in order. What I am going to tell you must not leave this room, with truth comes responsibility, and from what you mother told me about you, I think you can handle it."

I nodded.

"Are you aware of a drug with the street name 'Blood'?"

I looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"It's a new synthetic drug on the market. Named for the red colour when it is dissolved in water. It must be made in a lab, and when taken it gives a feeling of euphoria and also hallucinations. It is highly addictive, but has little or no side effects if you take it regularly. However, once addicted, the withdrawal symptoms includes unquenchable thirst, uncontrollable violent outbursts and severe mood swings. It is possible to whine from it, but it take an incredible amount of mental strength and people have known to choose suicide over rehabilitation. This is a dangerous drug."

"We have an inkling from the chemical structure that a pharmaceutical company must be involved. It's not something that you could just knock up in a basement. Rido, your uncle, was seen distributing a large amount of Blood tablets though his quite successful catering business. The vans are the perfect cover. Your mother Juri and your father Haruka were university friends of mine from long time ago, and upon hearing about Blood tablets, they agreed to help."

"It was suppose to be a simple assignment with minimal risks... all they need to do is to find out where Rido was getting his tablets from, that is all..." He sighed, a man suddenly looked a lot older than his age. "The fact remains, your involvement could place you both in danger. I will put you both into protective custody just in case... I cannot promise that you will be together..."

Rage sparked in my eyes. "You mean me and Yuuki will be separated? I can't lose her, she is my only family..."

Then realisation suddenly hit me. "Wait, you are the one who told my parents about the Blood tablets, you gave them the assignment, it's your fault that my parents are dead!" I stumped out of the room and slammed the door shut.

My mind was sinking in a whirlwind of emotions, how was I suppose to protect Yuuki, if I wasn't around?

* * *

Later that night I got up to get some water, and heard noises from the study. "Good news, no one appears to have seen you. That was a stroke of genius, using Rido's catering logo." A tall man with piercing blue eyes and wavy brown hair was conversing with Kaien over a bottle of brandy. "So, you are really quitting the police force, Captain of the Narcotics Unit aren't far away if you didn't like undercover so much."

Kaien gave a tired smile, "I don't think I can continue to put people important to me in danger Yagari. I have this school that I'm looking after, now that Juri is gone I need to give it more attention. I am weary of all this, I feel like I am fighting a war with no end in sight, I just want some normality... I also want to adopt the little Kurans, if possible, I owe their parents that much."

This man called Yagari furrowed his eyebrows. "They must be separated, you know that right? A boy and a girl of 7 and 5 orphaned together is a dead give away, you might as well paint a target on their backs." He paused, and then reached out and lit a cigarette. "About that ...whenever we get a lead, or find someone that can speak out, either it disappears or the person ends up dead, and then we realised, there must be corruption in the justice system at a higher level, and the case is secretly handed to the Internal Affairs Unit, but even then it was difficult."

He stood up, and picked up my mother's necklace from the desk. "Then, thanks to you, Haruka and Juri," He looked down at the necklace, which is really a locket in the form of a rose. A click opened the closure. "That is a piece of paper containing the password and the details of a safety box was in the locket. It appears that they understood how much danger they are in better than we do. I do believe that their death is not in vain." He then took out a folder from his briefcase. "This is classified information, only tell this to the people you trust. The name is Ichiou Pharmaceuticals, they are the ones that's been providing the tablets."

My eye widened, and I clenched my fists. I have been angry at the wrong person, now I know who... My mind raced.

"That's not enough for a conviction, or anything of that kind, but we now know where to look..."

I pulled the door open and stepped into the study. Both adults were shocked.

Kaien quickly flashed an uneasy smile, "Kaname, I didn't realise you were ther-"

"Kaien, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry that I shouted at you this morning." I took a deep breathe. "I understand the weight of what you told me and the responsibility of knowing the truth. Please adopt Yuuki, I think she will be happy here... She needs a stable home, and I think... this would be a safe place for her."

Kaien's smile widened a little. "W-well, that is not something I would expect a child to say. Thank you Kaname, I will be sure to look after Yuuki."

I bowed my head. "Thank you."

I walked out of the room, took a deep breath, and then went to see Yuuki. So small, curled up under blankets like a little kitten. I gently patted her head. She still hadn't said a word. I finally accepted that her memories were now all locked up. Ah, perhaps it was better this way. She could just be Yuuki, a normal child, with a normal life, going to school, laughing, eating an abnormal amount of desserts everyday... Yes, it was better this way. Even so, I felt a need to cry.

There is no point asking if I could help, they would've said no anyway. Ichiou Pharmaceuticals, you picked the wrong kid to mess with. That was the moment when my felt my childhood end, and my thorny path began. My eyes narrowed. Let the chess game begin.

* * *

The hour after school is my favourite time of the day. Everyone has left, and it is just me and my thoughts. I don't need to pretend to be a model student at school, or a model grandson when I am at home. No, it is a time where I can just be me. I have often wondered what it would be like, to be a normal child. I soon dismissed it. It's a silly thought, the opportunity was taken away from me a long time ago.

I was no longer that spoilt 7 years old, who chose to stay ignorant. I had the tools. I was above average in intelligence, had access to computers, and since I was not allow to leave the house while the trials were taking place, time. A lot of time. I tried to learn as much as I could about the people that took my childhood away from me while under Kaien's care. Yuuki was doing better day by day, but her memory lost was a constant reminder that nothing would be the same ever again. Plans started to take forms, plans that I did not think I could formulate.

I remember the day when I realised that I could do it, all I needed to do was write a letter. It sat secretly between the anime DVDs that Kaien thought would interest me. It sat there for days. A part of me was afraid. I have never taken initiative to do something completely independent before. I know that if I were to send it, it would be the point of no return. However, I also realised that my world was already turned upside-down, that I will never go back to the time when Yuuki and I, Father and Mother, would sit together at the dinner table. Were we to live in fear of discovery by the Ichiou Pharmaceuticals for the rest of our lives? I needed to take revenge, and I will not rest until I do.

* * *

"... There has to be a mistake... That second name, Ichijo... That's the same as the chairman of Ichiou Pharmaceuticals..." Kaien stared in disbelief at the adoption papers, and then realisation stuck him. "Kaname... you did something didn't you..."

"Mm?" I gave the most innocent smile I could master. "Say ahh, Yuuki."

"Ahhhhh." Cheeks rosy from the exciting prospect of desserts, Yuuki opened her mouth and latched on to the spoon.

Kaien stared at the picturesque view of a loving brother feeding an overjoyed little sister pudding. You could almost see sparkles in the air. He paused briefly, and then glared at me again. "Kaname, I should've known you wouldn't just sit around and do nothing. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't refuse this proposal outright."

"You don't have the legal means Kaien."

Kaien visibly twitched. "I hate the fact that you are smart Kaname. Where is that cute little boy I raised?" His expression suddenly became serious. "However it doesn't mean I don't have friends that can, what do you intend to achieve."

I wiped off some pudding on the corner of Yuuki's mouth, and patted her head. "Onii-san will be right back." I looked back at Kaien, "let's talk somewhere else, like the study."

We walked into the study and closed the doors behind us.

"Ok, talk." Kaien slumped down behind his desk, and crossed his arms.

"Have you been following Rido's case?" I rigidly took my seat across from the table.

The ex-policeman hesitated, and gave me a puzzle look. "Yes, he confessed to killing your parents along with his little gang. There was no further investigation due to his confession. He got off easy though, manslaughter charges due to insanity and having 'Blood' in his system. Unbelievable charges if you ask me. It appears that our suspicions about corruption were correct. What does this have anything to do with your adoption again?"

"I and my sister's identity was kept from the media for our own protection, even though there was no connection between Blood and Rido. Publicly anyway. However, I was the one that shot Rido, and my fingerprints were on the gun. The media got a hold of that information. It was on the news."

"Ah, you were blown up to be a hero. I had to pull some strings, so that your protective custody status is maintained and you were kept out of media's eye."

My gaze fell on to the floor, "I wanted Yuuki is be away from all this, so as far as the world knows, we were separated afterwards, and no one knows where Yuuki is now."

I took a deep breathe. "I wondered about what I should do next, if I did nothing, I could have lived a normal life, but I can't forgive the people that took my family away from me, and the evil things they continuing to do." I looked determinately into Kaien's eyes, my hands quivered.

"I have decided, I will not be keeping my identity secret for long, the person that's adopting me isn't the chairman himself, but his son. He is running for mayor this year. I've sent a letter to him, indicating my anger towards the justice system and how it handles narcotics such as Blood. I said that I am going to share my story to the media soon, and that I will give my support for his campaign to better the system...I also added that I am in foster care, waiting to be adopted." I smiled deviously. "If I want to be elected, there is no way I am going to pass on that chance."

"Thank you for praising my old unit Kaname. For a 9 years old, your maturity scares me. I guess you wouldn't be a passive grandson either. So," Kaien slapped his hands on his knees and stood up, " I'm going to get you out of this mess that you've made, it's too reckless."

"I'm going to be the chairman's 'grandson' Kaien, as far as they know I'm just a boy whose parents were killed by an uncle in a fit of madness. To be the family of the drug lord is better than sitting in a gundam. Besides, I would really like to see you find a reason why the future mayor of the city can't adopt me." That stopped Kaien in his tracks.

Castling move complete.

* * *

Author's note: That's right I make Kaname into an awkward little boy because he is just 7 and not a vampire ancestor that went through years of war and then lived for a couple of thousand more. But hey I did make him a hero and a super mature kid for his age... with an IQ of 160-170 :P. Sorry... again... I actually feel kinda bad about it... He also likes Gundam (robots), I haven't met a 9 years old boy who doesn't like robots. It's got a good dose to strategy as well in these shows. I also made Rido less significant, I mean in the real world someone as unstable as him wouldn't really make it that far... Asato Ichijo would definitely go places.

Ah, and I kept on wondering if I should say 'checkmate' or 'castling', but I feel it's really the beginning of the game. Castling, is a move in chess made by the king where you move a rook and the king simultaneously, general to move the king to protect it better.


	4. Chapter 4

Not such thing as normal

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. Nooooooo...

* * *

"Hello Yuuki," a girl with short, light brown hair and wide blue eyes greets me as I walk into the classroom.

"Yori!" Yes! My best friend from middle school is here too. I'm so happy! I practically jump on her. "We are in the same class! I haven't seen you since March, how was your holiday in... France was it?"

Yori nods. Her family travels a lot, although most of the time is it for business as her father is a prominent diplomat. We happily catch up on what was happening in our lives. Unfortunately, the bells cut our conversations short.

The first lesson is Math... I really hate Math... I swear I am never going to use half of this stuff in real life. My mind begins to wonder... that's right, 11 years ago I lost both of my parents, and the shock of it has locked my memory away. I don't remember a thing about my parents, or my life before I was in Kaien's care. My first memory is of Onii-san, holding me so close, telling me that he will always protect me.

I had to start from the beginning, learning what pudding was, how to get dressed, and how to talking again. My first word was actually 'Kaname'. Although it took me a long time to recover from my shock, Onii-san would sit by me till my fear goes away, and pat my head till I fall asleep. Although Rido was charged for the murder of our family, both our lives might still be in danger, so our identity must be concealed... or at least that's what I was told. So it was decided that we should keep our sibling relationship a secret, and be adopted to different families. Thinking about it makes me sad. Kaien had no children of his own and decided to take me in, much to my delight. I was sad to see Kaname go, but he would visit on special days. It was a lot of effort, but coming to this school means that I will be able to be close to him, I'm so very thankful that chairman, my new father, had allowed it. I am so lucky... if it was anyone else, I would have been separated from Onii-san right away, and bounced from one foster home to another.

* * *

Zero is his usual unsocial self. Being new and might I say, quite good looking, a bunch of girls did attempt to talk to him during the recess. The end result, however, was a very annoyed Zero, a few scared girls, and a rumour that he had beaten up a man twice his size in the span of 10 minutes.

At which point I decide to intervene. "Zero!" I call, flashing my brightest smile and go to sit right beside him. A few girls throw curious and surprised glances our way. " We've just had Math and you know how it's my worst subject, I don't quite understand the tan graph."

Zero sighs, and attempts to explain that the tan graph doesn't have any meaning but rather just a relationship between 2 lines of a triangle. The classmates seem to find the sudden change in mood intriguing, but are too scared to approach us.

Yori whispers to me after the event, "Looks like Mr. Angry still has a soft spot for you."

I chuckle at the witty comment. "Zero isn't a bad person, if you give him a chance." Still, he probably won't make a lot of friends with his attitude.

* * *

Lunch time soon arrives and I can't wait to see Onii-san. Zero just follows quietly behind me, I suppose he doesn't really have anyone else to sit with during lunch and I don't have the heart to leave him by himself.

"Er, I think the library is this way... this school is too big for comfort." I am about to turn left at the corridor, when Zero grabs me by my shoulders and forcefully turns me to the right, much to my annoyance. "No, it's this way."

I glare at him. "You know, you should treat a girl more gently... wait... what is that look? You are thinking that I'm not like a girl at all, right?" I pout, never questioning his sense of direction. He's always the better navigator.

Zero is silent, and I am about to argue more when two upperclassmen stop in front of us.

Zero steps protectively in front of me as if by instinct.

I peek out from behind Zero, and am quite surprised at how handsome the two are. One has golden blond hair and brilliant blue eyes, while the other has flame-coloured hair and honey brown eyes. From the way they look, they must be related. While the blond senpai is dressed neatly, the redhead senpai isn't wear a tie at all, and his shirt is barely buttoned, revealing a chiselled chest.

"I assume you are Zero Kiryu, and the other one behind you is Yuuki Cross?" The blond upperclassmen spoke. Zero nods without breaking eye contact. "My name is Hanabusa Aido and this is Kain Akastuki, we were asked by Kaname-kun to find you, in case you get lost. Please follow."

Akastuki turns straight away and starts walking. Aido, however, falls back till he is walking beside me. "Hey, you are kinda cute. Can I call you Yuuki?"

"Um, yes Aido-senpai." I don't want to be rude, although the sudden advancement makes me a bit uncomfortable.

"Say, what did you do to pique Kaname's interest?" He asks with a smile, leaning his face very close to mine. His skin is flawless, and his features are so symmetrical that it's almost blinding to looking at him.

"I... um... we sorta know each other from before he was adopted..." I give a nervous laugh.

"Eh, I didn't know that... say... do you have a boyfriend?" And then attempts to put an arm around me.

Startled by the question, and trying to figure out a polite answer, my face suddenly hits Zero's back. I look up to see Zero glaring daggers into Aido.

Aido suddenly decides that hugging me isn't a good idea. "Wow Kiryu-kun, it was just a question. That's a very scary look." He gives us one last look, and then walks in front of us to join Akastuki.

The senpais lead us to a private study room in the library. Kaname is leaning on a table when he sees us, and waves. "We will leave you guys here." Says Aido, and both he and Akastuki leave to allow us some privacy.

Zero looks like he has no intention of entering the room. "Go ahead Yuuki, I'll be outside." He puts his hands in his pocket and leans against the wall. I walk in and close the door behind me. "Yuuki." Kaname Onii-san pats beside him, indicating to me to have a sit. "So have you been since the last time I saw you?" He says with a kind smile.

I talk to him about my first day, meeting Yori, and then start to tell him about the holiday I had with chairman and Zero to a tropical island.

"We went bushwalking, and poor Zero got so very sunburnt! I don't think he likes the sun very much. And we also went swimming. You should see the beaches, blue and green, so pretty." I smile at the mental image, and look at Onii-san, but his expression doesn't mirror my own. He has a slight frown on his face when I mentioned swimming, and I am puzzled. "Kaname-nii, what's wrong?"

"So... you were in a swimsuit?" His expression is unreadable.

I hesitate to answer. "Um, yes..."

"With Kiryu?" He says, with a slight hiss in his voice.

"Onii-san..."

Kaname sighs. "I just... you always talk about him. I feel a little jealous. I'm not comfortable with you around Kiryu. I don't like him seeing you in a swimsuit..." The normally calm and collected Kaname shifts uncomfortably and looks away.

"Stop being so overly protective, Onii-san. It was a sensible one piece and Zero isn't that type of person." I stand up to face him, and put my hands on either side of his face. "Onii-san will always be number one. I will always be by your side, no matter what."

Kaname leans into my hands. "If I had a choice, I would lock you in a cage, just so I don't need to share you with all these other boys."

"Stop being so silly, Onii-san."

Kaname smiles and hugs me, he seems so lonely.

We hold each other for a moment, and I break the silence. "... so how have you been? The two that led me here are... interesting."

Kaname lets me go. "Ah Hanabusa and Kain, they are also a part of the student council. You probably couldn't tell but Hanabusa is the treasurer, and Kain helps him, especially when the clubs fight over funding. They work well together, since they are cousins."

"I see, though Aido-senpai seems more like a lady's man who goes around chasing skirts." I wince at the thought.

Kaname looks at me seriously, "What did he do on the way here?" I tell him about our little conversation and the temperature in the room goes down by 5 degrees.

"I can assure you, Yuuki, that he will be punished."

"You know, you have become really evil lately."

"Oh I have always been a little evil." He chuckles, "I shouldn't keep you. Go and get some lunch before the bell rings, Kiryu-kun is probably getting bored outside. If you need anything, you can find me in the council room during lunch."

I exit the room, and find Zero still standing in the same spot. "Done? I'm starving."

"Sorry Zero. You always wait outside, even when he comes to our place."

His expression is as neutral as always, but I still feel a little guilty. "No, I don't mind. He seems very important to you, and I don't want to take that away. Besides, I don't think I can contribute much to the conversation even if I am around. We don't exactly get along." His voice lowers suggestively at the last sentence, and I know exactly that he is thinking.

"Haha, I remember the first time you two met each other. You guys glared, and then he went 'your eyes have an odd color'. You responded with 'oh I'm so sorry', and then called him... what was it... 'noble up-your-hind-ness'. Then he said 'you should be, since you're at a level so low it's outside of the status pyramid', and at that point, I had to...ahahaha, had to drag Kaname into another room and lock the door because you were trying to kill him with a butter knife..." I burst out laughing, gasping for air, while slapping his arm repeatedly. "Well I guess you guys are better at it now. At least you've worked around your differences."

Zero winces and rubs his arm. "Yes, well, we have come to terms with the fact that YOU want us to be civil with each other."

We start to make our way towards the cafeteria. "Um, Yuuki..." he pauses. "Do you... do you like Ichijo Kaname?"

"Yes! Of course I do!" I answer the question straight away. Zero is startled by the speed of my answer, and freezes. Then I realise that he must have misunderstood. "But, what do you mean by like?"

"Ah... No... nothing." He looks away upon realising his mistake, and there is a bit of nervousness in his voice.

Always a black box. But why did he ask?

* * *

"Takuma." The head of the Ichijo family calls from behind his large oakwood desk. "So, what has Kaname been up to today?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, grandfather. He spoke at the entrance ceremony." The heir to the Ichiou empire replies, and bows his head.

"You must understand, Kaname is connected to the incident from 11 years ago. His parent managed to steal documents linking our Pharmaceutical Company and the Blood tablets, and even though we sent Rido and then our people to search the place, The documents were nowhere to be found."

"It doesn't mean Kaname has it grandfather..."

"No, but his testimony just didn't make sense, he said and he and his sister ran to the police station. Although it's no entire impossible, there is no way no one saw 2 kids covered with blood walking on the streets. Also the tire tracks at the back yard... It looked like it was made by Rido's van but no one as far as we know no one drove to the back door."

"You think someone else was there, and took the folder?" Asks Takuma.

"I rather suspect that someone picked up the kids in van with Rido's logo. Rido said he thought it was one of his own driving the van, but we now know that's not true. My primary suspect was Toga Yagari, the now head of Narcotics Unit. He filed the original statement for discovering the kids, but he was at the station when the incident occurred. The whole thing smells fishy, I allowed for Kaname's adoption in the hope of getting more information, but it appears that boy is smarter than we first anticipated."

"He knows something, I am sure of it, and it's linked to the missing documents. I don't know what he is thinking when he offer himself to live in the lion's den but, I am sure it's not a coincidence. I rather have him close to keep an eye on him. So I leave it up to you Takuma, you are only a year his junior, he trusts you. If he as any contact with the police, or anyone else suspicious, let me know. Kaname's sister seems to have conveniently disappeared after her adoption. I am unconvinced that he doesn't know where his only family is. She might be able to provide information that her brother could not."

Asato Ichijo stands up, and puts his arm on his grandson's shoulders. "Don't forget where you come from, and who provided for everything you have. I want you to lead Ichiou Pharmaceuticals when I am gone, do not fail me."

Takuma nodded, and took his leave. He visibly relaxes after leaving the room, propping himself down on the lounge room couch. Kaname walks in and smiles, "How did the meeting with the devil go?"

"Scary as always." Takuma smiles back, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Oh yes, he wants me to continue to spy on you. Don't worry, I have no intention of giving you or Yuuki away, I might be his grandson, but I have no intention of taking after him." Takuma frowns, "To be honest, I find the whole thing sickening, profiting off drugs." Then he yawns and stretches. "I don't really want any of it to be honest, all the stress of business and underhanded dealings. I just want to read my manga and crime novels, but if playing alone would help your cause, I am glad to do it."

Kaname walks over and sits down onto the couch. "Thank you Takuma, your support means a lot to me."

"To be honest, it is quite fun, I feel like the double agent in a spy novel. What do you want to achieve anyway? Ichi-devil never does any work at home, and I seriously haven't seen you do anything out of ordinary in the past 10 years."

"Ah well," the grandmaster grins, " I'm waiting for a particular piece to fall into place."

* * *

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed that, much less action than the previous chapters. Also I did copy that last bit between Yuuki and Zero from Starry Sky, just thought it would be a fitting scene. I currently feel like I'm sorta writing 2 different stories at the same time, it will converge and I hope you guys don't mind that.

You guys probably noticed that Yuuki doesn't use sama like she does in the manga, I think since Kaname isn't a king or a vampire, san would be sufficient.


	5. Chapter 5

No Such Thing as Normal

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. I will make do with the universe that I created...

* * *

"Where were you at lunchtime yesterday? I even messaged you. I was hoping to eat lunch together!" Yori suddenly comes up me right after I arrive at the classroom; she is pouting slightly.

"I'm so sorry Yori, I forgot to charge my phone. Zero and I were talking to Kaname-senpai yesterday. I didn't think it would take that long and I couldn't find you in the cafeteria. He is an old friend and we haven't seen each other for a while so we were just catching up..."

"Oh I see, that person who was in foster care with you? You entered this school just so that you could be with him right?" Yori smiles excitedly. I get the feeling she is getting the wrong idea again.

"He is just a friend! A friend!" I said defensively.

Yori leans in and whispers, "I would be careful though. It's going to make a lot of girls here jealous, since you've just had an audience with 'Ou-sama'. I wouldn't say it out aloud if I were you, or the fan girls here will make your life hard."

I give an awkward laugh. "In that case... I guess we could just keep that between us, I don't really want trouble from other girls. So, people call him 'king' here?" I twitch at the word 'king'; that is not a nickname I am use to.

"Yep, there are nicknames for the other council members too. The vice president Takuma Ichijo is 'Ouji-sama', treasurer Hanabusa Aido is 'Idol-san', and treasurer assistant Akatsuki Kain is 'Wild-san'." Yori counted her fingers. "Oh there is also council secretary Ruka Souen, the boys call her 'Ice Queen', but she is very nice I hear."

"I... er... So do you have a crush on any of them?"

"No, not really, I'm not really into boys, and I find the whole thing rather silly." Yori smiles, and then changes the subject. "Have you considered what club you are going to enter?"

"Club?"

"Yes, it's compulsory here, I'm thinking about entering the music club, since I play the flute."

I ponder for a moment, "I guess... is there a list I can choose from?"

"Sure, I can show them to you during recess."

* * *

Yori grabs my hand and brings me to the sign up board. There are many clubs there. Most of them are sports clubs, such as basketball or soccer. However there are also some culture clubs such as calligraphy and math. _There is a math club? What because there isn't enough math at school?_ " Um, I'm not sure, there are so many..."

"Don't worry," says Yori, "I think there is an exhibition of some sorts after school next week for the clubs to talk about what they are about and what they do."

"Um, Zero," I call to the lone figure behind us. "What club do you want to join?" Yori is quite startled as she doesn't realise Zero is there. Not her fault really. Zero followed us from the classroom without so much as a sound.

"... A sports club, probably."

"Um... okay... I guess you've always been pretty good at sports..." Well that got nowhere.

* * *

"Yes! PE!" I chirp, stretching happily. PE is the only lesson where I can just can relax, and I don't need to cram in heaps of new information that hurts my head. Being the elite school that it is, the course is very rigorous.

The PE teacher comes in and announced. "Today we are going to introduce you to something different, follow me." We walk out of the atrium and into the field few minutes away. There, we enter a barn and a few girls complain about the smell. "We are proud to have equestrian classes here at the Cross Academy. The school was established 200 years ago, when knowing how to ride a horse was compulsory. Although the sport is not as popular in this day and age, as the chairman has put it, everyone should try every sport at least once, because you never know where your talents lie. We have had quite a few students that went on to win equestrian championships, and we would like to continue that tradition. You will learn about horses, how the take care and manage them, also we will get you to ride one before the end of the day."

Just when I thought there would be no thinking... I groan at the idea, and there we listen for a whole hour of riding 101, from a horse's diet to how to fix the saddle and stirrup. I tune out after a while.

"Ok so that's all. Next we will separate you into groups, and assign you to a horse. The equestrian instructors will try and get everyone into the saddle before class ends." Oh god finally, some action!

Yori and I end up in the same group, and we giggle at our luck. Zero on the other hand ends up in a different group, and walks off to the far side of the field. We are introduced to a very beautiful spotted gelding. The other students climb on with the help of the instructor and do small laps. Then, it is Yori and my turn.

"Is it ok if you go first?" Asks Yori with a nervous expression. "I'm a bit scared of it."

Wanting to assure Yori that there is nothing scary about it, I agree.

I jump into the saddle with little trouble, and I am suddenly very aware that I am not riding a bike, or anything like a mechanical vehicle. Muscles ripple under me, and I can almost feel its heartbeat. This is a thinking, breathing animal beneath me, who trusts me enough to allow me to sit on its back, and can really hurt me if it wants to. But it doesn't want to. I find myself returning that trust. The wind blows in my face, and a sense of freedom washes over me. The world seems different from such a height. I breathe in the fresh spring air, and feel my worries being swept away.

The little lap ended too quick for my liking, and I give a thumbs up to Yori when I finally got off.

* * *

It is time to go home, and Zero joins me as I was about to leave. "How did your riding trip go, Zero?"

"Ah, that. We got a mare called White Lily, it's a very pretty mare, white from head to toe." His eye lit up a little, if I didn't know any better. "The ride was... nice, relaxing."

"I think I know what you mean." Thinking about the way I felt when I was on the horse.

"The mare nibbled my hair afterwards, the instructor said that it was because she likes me."

I chuckle at the mental image.

"I think... I'm thinking about joining the equestrian club."

My smile widens, and I cheerfully run in front of him. "Zero, that's a great idea."

Zero stops, and smiles back.

That stops me in my track. I am slightly mesmerised by his smile. It's weird. My heart sort of just skips a beat. I don't know if it is because the late afternoon sun that is casting a warm glow on his face, or the petals from sakura trees flowering in the background, showering all around us. It's a rare sight; Zero almost never smiles, but when he does, it's really something that deserves to be treasured.

"Why... are you looking at me like that?" Says Zero, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"I...er... you smiled..." Wait, wrong answer. "I mean, you should smile more!" I give a nervous laugh. How odd, I've never felt like this with Zero before.

Zero looks at me as if I have just requested pigs to fly, and continues walking. I am not quite sure, but I think I see a ghost of a smile on his face as he passes me.

I follow, too embarrassed to say anymore. I shake my head and attempt to get that odd feeling out of my mind. Seeing him with a smile on his face makes me happy. I should aim to get him to do it more often, it's so pretty.

* * *

I went with Zero to sign up for the equestrian club earlier today, but upon realising that 'cleaning the stable' was also one of the required chores, I politely declined joining.

Still looking for a club...

The exhibition is after the school hours in the atrium, and attendance is not compulsory. I guess I have no choice but to stay back. So with Zero and Yori gone, I am left all alone with other students that also could not make up their minds.

The cultural clubs went first. None of them really interests me, but I soon realise that there aren't many rules regarding how you promote your club, and it appears that there is a lot of competition in getting as many applications as possible. I guess that is no surprise considering that size of the club dictates how much funding a club gets. The science club brings in a volcano that spews red bicarb water everywhere, and the book club comes in cosplaying as many characters from recent popular mangas as possible.

A familiar face suddenly steps onto the stage. "Hello everyone, especially the ladies!" Aido-senpai is standing as if he owns the stage, preaching to his followers. Murmur starts up in the audience, especially between girls. "I am the captain of the current Math Club. I realise that math is a difficult subject, especially for many of the cute ladies in the audience. I have heard many complaints from every year level, and I feel that I must do something to remedy the situation." He waves his arms around in a dramatic fashion. "I, as the school treasurer, am very gifted with numbers, and I would be happy to share my knowledge with everyone! No question is too trivial, and no inquiries are overlooked! For the happiness of girls everywhere, I introduce to you... the Mathematics Club!" Some club assistants standing beside Aido pull open some party poppers, and a banner with 'Mathematics Club' on it unrolls from another assistant's hand. "Please talk to me after the exhibition to sign up!" With that, Aido finishes with a bow. A loud applause follows. This is not a math club, but an unofficial 'Idol-san' fan club... Yep, I finally understand how a math club could even exist, let alone having any members.

Then it is the sport clubs' turn. They mostly cover their training regimes and awards that they've won, and then have a little show of skill, basketball club does a dribble number, and members from the soccer club juggle the balls with their feet. I am more interested in sports, but they are generic sports and none of them really stand out for me.

At this point I'm just going to close my eyes and point to a random club...

Then, 3 girls walk up to the stage dressed in what looks like cheerleading costume, and holding batons. The senpai in the middle is very pretty, big blue eyes and long lavender hair up in a braided bun. "My name is Ruka Souen, and captain of the gymnastic club. This is a new club created just for girls!" A groan is heard from the boys in the audience. "Don't complain! You bunch of perverted hormonal males would harass any pretty girl on your sports team. Whenever there is a sporting event for a sports club, only the boys get to compete and the girls were made to be managers or just cheering from the side. This is very unfair and this club is set up by me for the girls that don't like to just sit around!" Many girls, including me, cheers.

"Ok, let's go, music!" One of the girls clicks play on the ipod stereo. I am amazed by what I see, the batons are twirling so fast that my eyes are barely able to keep up. Girls are in perfect sync with each other, and the batons are switched, thrown and caught with what looks like no effort at all, all the while they rolled and flipped to the beat of the music. As the music reaches its crescendo, Ruka throws her baton very high, and does 2 back flips, and catches her baton without so much as a drop of sweat.

The crowd goes wild, and I think I've developed a girl crush.

* * *

"Have you heard Kaname? Yuuki has just joined the gymnastics club." Says Takuma, as he goes about organising the school enrolment forms.

"Yes, from Ruka, she will look after Yuuki just fine. At least it's not the Math club." Kaname glares at Aido, who is currently standing in the corner holding 2 buckets of water and balancing another one his head.

"Don't you think that's a bit severe, Kaname?" Aido asks nervously.

A dark cloud descends over the president's demeanour, "You should consider yourself lucky that it's not in a public place."

Aido gulps and pretends to be the wallpaper.

Most of the students that enrolled are present. Well, all except one, thought Kaname. "Maria Kurenai, she appears to have been absent since the beginning of the year."

"Yes, her parents sent a doctor's certificate, saying that she was recovering from a very bad cold. She will be starting school a little after golden week." Takuma waves around a signed piece of paper.

"It would be difficult for her to integrate now that most friendship circles have been formed, I would like to ask for her to be put in 1B. I believe she knows someone from that class and it would make her transition easier."

"Oh?" Takuma raises his eyebrows. "I don't remember getting a letter for class changes... Oh wait," he smiled slyly and winks, knowing fully well that the president is up to something. "I think I must have misplaced it. I'll get the paperwork done, I'm sure the teachers wouldn't object."

"Thank you, Takuma." The 'king' smiles.

* * *

The class finishes and I bounce along to the gymnastic club in my sports uniform. Zero is on his way to the equestrian club, and decides to walk me part way.

"I suppose the gymnastics club suits you, it'll teach you some coordination," teases Zero, seeing my enthusiastic hop.

I slap him on the arm. "Hey, I am very well-coordinated."

"Not according to all the banging I heard in your room when you practice your cartwheel."

"That is a work in progress! And most of the banging comes from me practising the baton twirling." I pout and cross my arms.

"Oh yeah, the ponytailed alien told you to practice in your room because you almost broke the coffee table glass with that thing."

Zero has really gotten teasing me down to an art form. "It's harder than it looks, okay?" I can't help but raise my voice at that accusation!

We are so busy bantering that we don't notice footsteps coming our way. "Yuuki-san," Ruka interrupts, "Are you okay? Is he annoying you?"

Both of us stops in our tracks, not expecting anyone to overhear our conversation. "Eh, no, we were just having a friendly debate, Souen-senpai." I give a nervous laugh. The conversation in all honesty doesn't sound friendly at all, even though it is just harmless teasing. More than that, it is kind of private, since Zero doesn't like to show that side of him in public. It is rather difficult to explain, and Zero knows it too.

Then an awkward silence descends over us, and Ruka gives Zero a cold look. Feeling the uneasiness in the air, Zero turns away, and says with his back facing us, "I'll... get going... to my club..." and hastily walks off.

The captain of the gymnastic club suddenly turns to me and smiles. "Yuuki-san, do call me Ruka, I think we work better as a team if we are all equals."

"Ok Ruka-senpai, then please call me Yuuki." I return her smile. Well that sure is a sudden change in attitude.

"You know, any type of harassment is against school policy. You don't have to feel threatened if you report." Says Ruka with a concerned expression.

Oh no, I sigh. "Um, you misunderstand Ruka-senpai, Zero and I are childhood friends, we do this from time to time with no hard feelings. Zero looks scary with his tattoo, and piercings... and attitude, but he is a nice person." To me anyway... sometimes...

"Oh, I see." It appears that I have confused Ruka-senpai.

* * *

The gymnastic club is situated in the atrium. We pull out mats and do stretching exercises, and share baton twirling tips. The older members are on the other side doing more complex moves such as flips and throws.

At one point Akastuki-senpai comes over and starts talking with Ruka. I overhear one senpai talking about how cute they look together. Curious, I wander over to them.

"Hello, my name is Yuuki. I was wondering, are Akastuki-senpai and Ruka-senpai close?"

"Ah my name is Mimiko. Oh yes, in fact it was Akastuki-kun that encouraged Ruka to start this club. See, before, girls didn't have much power in the school sports before, and there was a lot of harassment cases in the clubs that were overlooked. Ruka was in the tennis club, but as the only girl no one really played with her, and she was left with menial jobs. She is also pretty, and a lot of boys tried to make moves on her. Akastuki-kun saw this, and suggested that she starts her own club, and also recommended the president to appoint Ruka as one of the council members. Now any harassment cases will result in the offender carrying 2 buckets of water, and one on top of the head after school at the entrance!" The girls giggle.

"It's really funny when they couldn't really balance the bucket and water goes all over them when it drops!" Another senpai adds.

"Ahhh, Wild-san is so awesome, but I guess I wouldn't mind if it is Ruka-san."

"Yeah she really takes her responsibility seriously."

"She is nice AND pretty."

"Do you think they are dating? I mean, Akastuki-kun is the only guy Ruka is nice to."

"Mm, I don't know, but for some reason I feel just a little bit sad that Wild-san is taken..."

The girls chat away, and I look at the two talking. I have no idea what a couple is suppose to look like, but I guess they would make the hottest couple ever listed if they tried. That brings a smile to my face. It doesn't look like that much of a stretch.

I was lost in fairytale land and doesn't realise that Akastuki-senpai has already left. Ruka's voice snaps me out of my daze. "Yuuki, you should try and tie your hair up properly. Your long hair, as nice as it is, can get in the way when you do flips and such." She then points to her own braided bun.

I touches my hair, which is currently in a ponytail. "Er, I guess I can sort of do a bun." I undid my hair, and proceed to retying it, but doesn't pull my hair all the way out at the end. It's the only bun I know how to do... The result is a very long bun if you could call it that, due to the length. Meh, I'll be okay.

Time goes by so fast since I am having so much fun. I decide to practice more on my cartwheel on the soft mats along with other first years. Although it hurts less when I fall, the way my hand sinks into to mattress doesn't help with the balancing. I realise that I'm falling behind the others and wonder if Zero is right about my coordination.

"Yuuki!" Ruka calls again, seeing me struggling. "Come here, I'll show you something."

She brings me to practice balancing beam that is just above the ground. "You should start with this." She leans down and grabs the beam, and jumps over while keeping her hold. "Start with a little hop, then raise your legs higher and higher, till you can do a smooth cartwheel over the beam." She then shows me a full cartwheel, I am amazed at her grace. She then pats my shoulder with encouragement.

With something to grip to, it isn't difficult to work my way up to a full cartwheel. The feeling is exhilarating, and I decide that I can go back and join the others. I do a couple with no trouble, and the others clap and decide to also try the beam method. I am happy to have the mats all to myself and decide to line them up and do a few consecutive cartwheels.

That is a bad, bad idea.

The first cartwheel is ok, so is the second, but then my hair falls out of its constraints and sweeps right under my hands. Due to the unfortunate fact that hair is not elastic, I feel my head getting pulled down and my arms buckling. _Think fast!_ I twist slightly and just manage to land on my right foot without falling.

Safe!... AH CRAP.

Before my left foot touches the floor, the mat under my right dips from the twist and slides, resulting in me falling full force onto the hard wooden floor, hitting my shoulder and twisting my foot at the same time.

"Awww!" Pain shots up from both my shoulder and my ankle. I attempt to muffle my scream unsuccessful with the floor, and bang my fist into it to distract myself from the pain.

A couple of girls run over and help me on to a chair. Ruka comes over and checks my shoulder and foot.

"Geez, Yuuki, that's a nasty fall. Don't say I didn't warn you about your hair. Your shoulder looks bruised, but it should be ok, your ankle however is a bit swollen. I should call your parents to pick you up. What number should I dial-"

"NOOOO!" I suddenly have a mental image of father, or rather the chairman, running in with tears on his face and frilly shawl trailing in the wind... I will never live this down.

"Um, my parents work really far away! They wouldn't get here till late. I only live 15 minutes away... Just call Zero Kiryu, he will help. He is in the equestrian club."

Ruka gives me a puzzled expression, but upon seeing my pleading eyes, she resigns and gestures Mimiko to go and get Zero.

In a matter of minutes Zero rushes in. His hair slightly dishevelled, and without his jacket and tie. "Yuuki! I heard you were hurt. What happened?" and kneels down in front of me. I am temporarily lost for words. I've seen Zero angry, and annoyed many times, but I've never seen Zero so... so scared.

Mimiko arrives soon after, and out of breath. "I've never seen anyone run so fast..." she mutters.

"I, um, well, it's really funny actually. See, I was doing a cartwheel, and I tripped on my hair... with my hands, and then fell and twisted my ankle. Oh and I hit my shoulder. Hahaha..." I give a nervous laughter as Zero proceeds to check my ankle. That explanation doesn't make sense at all. It even sounds stupid when I say it out loud. Who trips on their hair with their hands? "It's really not that bad, it'll be fine if I rest for a few days... AW DON'T PRESS THAT!"

Zero glares at Ruka. "You know, as the captain it's your responsibility to look after your fellow students, she could be seriously hurt-"

Before Zero can take out anymore of his anger on Ruka-senpai, I stop him by cupping his face with my hand, and force him to look at me. Being polite isn't one of his good points, that's really no way to talk to a senpai. My shoulder protests. "Zero, it's my fault, not Ruka-senpai's. Please, I'm tired, I want to go home." I give him my best puppy dog eyes.

Zero stares at me for a minute, and sighs. "Ok, come on, can you walk?" and offers his hand.

I nod, and stand up. Pain shoots up my right leg but I can walk, or rather hobble while holding on to Zero.

"I guess you carrying your bag is out of the question. I'll come back and get it once we get home."

Zero drapes my arm over his shoulders and supported my waist. I wave silently to Ruka and the rest of the gymnastic club goodbye, and hurry to get the ticking bomb out of the atrium.

* * *

After covering 5 minutes worth of ground in 10 minutes, Mr Shortfuse is get impatient. "You know what, it's only 10 minutes, I'll piggyback you."

"Eehhhh?"

"What? It's not the first time." He lets go and squats in front of me.

My face is getting redder by the second. if I were wearing my school skirt I would have a better excuse, but no, I'm in a pair of shorts... "I've... gotten heavier than the last time you carried me."

Zero glares at me. "I'm strong. Now get on or I'll grab you and sling you over my shoulder."

That is definitely not an empty threat. I put my arms around his neck and get on, my heart is going a million miles a minute, and I'm very thankful that he can't see my face in that position.

He is so tall, I didn't notice until I look down. He is warm too, and his familiar scent of sweat and the afternoon sun is strangely calming. I lean down and put my head in the nap of his neck, feeling so, very... safe. I have never thought Zero as being anything other than a friend, or a brother even. There is no reason for me to blush, nor for my heart beat to quicken. I have always thought that the feelings I have for Zero are the same as those for Kaname-nii. Well, not exactly the same, but close enough. But now, I seem to be a nervous wreck, something that I've never experienced with Onii-san. How odd. What is this feeling that I'm experiencing?

* * *

Author's note: I googled 'school clubs in Japan', and one of the articles gave me 'math club' as one of the possible cultural clubs... this makes me very confused. I wondered why in the world anyone would make a maths club. Only one name comes to mind. Aido. No offence to anyone who like math (I did 3 math subs in year 12), this is mainly from Yuuki's POV and we know how she feels about it.


	6. Chapter 6

No Such Thing as Normal

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. I seriously want to be Yuuki in this chapter...

* * *

The sun is glaring in the horizon, but the wind is cool as it weaves through my hair. I wrap my arm a little tighter around Zero. I don't want this to end. The nervousness soon wears away, and is replaced by an unexplainable warm and fuzzy feeling that just buzzes in my head, drowning out everything around me; a blissful feeling that seems to make time run ten times faster. I don't notice the old lady passing across the street, smiling at what she sees, or the two girls walking home, pointing and giggling. The constant beating of my heart reminds me that I shouldn't feel this way about Zero, that it there is a line that shouldn't be crossing. That if I cross it, things would change, and I don't want anything to change.

Staring at the front door, I'm almost disappointed that we got home so fast. Zero tries to hide it, but I can tell that carrying me is strenuous for him. Sweat has gathered around his temples, threatening to fall, and his breathing is deep and hasty. I am like 2/3 of his body weight... I blush again.

"The keys."

Zero suddenly speaks, breaking me out of my daze. "Keys?"

"House keys, you have them in your pocket right? Open the door, my hands are full." His voice stern, I guess he is still mad at me.

Oh, I usually have it with my locker key, which I always have in my pocket. "... Aren't you going to put me down?"

"As if I would." Comes the quick reply, leaving me no room to rebut.

"Um ok. Hold on." I fumble for the keys in my pocket. Zero bends forward slightly, so I can reach the keyhole easily, unlock the door, and swing it open. Stop blushing, face!

Zero kicks off his shoes, walks in and lowers me on to the lounge room couch. "I will kill you if you move an inch." He threatens. The intensity of his amethyst eyes freezes me in my spot, along with my thoughts. He then leans down, and before I can protest, he takes off my shoes. The one on the hurt foot is a bit snug from the swelling, and I can't hide my wince as he removes it. "Ditzy head." He mumbles while looking up at me. My face is now as red as a tomato, my gaze firmly fixed on the floor. He narrows his eyes and leans in a bit closer. "Are you alright? Your face is so red. You don't have a fever, do you?" Before I know it, he gets up slowly and closes the distance between us, reaching out to sweep aside my bangs. Centimeters away, his warm breath tickles my cheeks like a feather as his forehead lightly touches mine to check my temperature, cool against my flushed skin. The short contact sends an electric shock through my entire system, and I suddenly shoot backwards, just to prevent my heart from jumping out of my chest as a result of his close proximity. Zero gives me a puzzled look, and my mind races to find an explanation.

"I... I'm ok, it was really warm outside. Can I have a cup of water please? Hahaha..."

He doesn't buy it, I can tell, but he doesn't question me either. He puts away my shoes near the doormat, then walks into the kitchen for a minute, and comes back with a cup of water. He crouches down, so that his eyes could be at level with mine, watching me as I take a sip. "All good now?"

"Um, yes." I give a smile. The water is helping.

"I need to get your bag. Keys?"

I reach into my pocket again and hand him the keys. I notice that he didn't take his bag either, and I feel bad about the whole incident.

"I'll be right back. Do. Not. Move." Zero commands and I nod obediently. I am not out of the woods yet. Satisfied with my reaction, he stands and heads for the exit.

"Wait, Zero!"

He stops and turns his head.

"Um, Thank you."

"No need, that's what friends do isn't it?" With that, he exits the front door.

That's right, Zero and I are friends. I lay on the couch trying to get my emotions under control. What is wrong with me? I can't stop thinking how comfortable it is holding on to him. Despite the fact that he was mad at me for hurting myself, he was very gentle with me when he picked me up. It felt so safe. Oh why do sports shorts have to be so short... The cold water is doing little to calm my nerves. I must have hit my head as well... this is just not normal for me... It's not the first time he piggybacked me right? It's not like I've never been piggybacked... I splash some water from the cup on my face.

* * *

I hear the sound of keys jingling outside and I sit up in anticipation. Zero comes in, but with Kaname in toll, which surprises me. That walk back could not have possibly been easy for either of them.

"Kaname-senpai?"

Onii-san sounds a bit breathless. "I heard you got hurt Yuuki, I came over to see how you are. Are you alright?"

"Er yes, I'm not hurt that badly..."

Zero closes the door and put our bags down near the couch. "I caught him running past me just down the street. I'll be in the kitchen." I am a bit thankful; I don't know how to face Zero right now.

Wait, Onii-san ran? I've never seen him run, in fact, I could barely imagine it. Kaname sits down beside me and pulls me into his embrace. "Silly, silly girl..." He whispers, and runs his fingers through my hair. I relax against his shoulders.

"It's really nothing, Onii-san, don't worry, I'm not that hurt." I try to reassure him. "And please don't be angry with Ruka-senpai, it wasn't her fault."

Regret creeps into his eyes. "Yuuki, Ruka told me about your difficulty with putting up your hair... I have insisted that you should keep it long, but now..." he trails off, and then leans down and kisses my forehead.

My eyes widen. I break my hug and look at him. "Kaname-nii! Are you blaming yourself? Gosh stop being so silly! I chose to keep it long, I was one who joined the gymnastics club... You can't protect me from every little thing! I can look after myself!" He always has such a lonely look in his eyes, and that make me sigh. "Onii-san... I'm ok, and I'm still here."

"... So let me have a look." He moves to kneel in front of me, and picks up my ankle, delicately holding it between his hands. I can tell that he is scrutinising the damage I have done to it closely.

"I think you are overreacting, Onii-san."

He looks at me austerely. "It's lucky that you fell on your shoulder rather than your head." He scolds.

That shuts me up.

"Ah your ankle is very swollen, must have been very difficult getting home."

"Er, Zero piggybacked me..." A blush is making its way up my face again. At this rate, the skin on my cheeks is going to get burnt off.

He visibly flinches. "You could have asked for the chairman to drive you back."

I look at him as if he's crazy. He just sighs. "Ok, I get it..." He stands up and goes back to his seat beside me, and rests his head on my shoulder. He looks tired, drained almost. I wonder if it's the council work.

That expression makes me fill with worry. "Onii-san, are you ok? You don't look well."

Upon hearing my concern, a deep rumble that sounds like a short snicker left his mouth. "You are the one hurt, and you are asking me how I feel." Kaname gets up sluggishly, his deep red eyes gaze into mine, with all the gentleness that I know is only meant for me. "How should I say this, you are the only family I have left... if you ever leave, or disappear, I wouldn't know what to do. I would feel as if... if my existence has lost its meaning." For a brief moment, his features express such an overwhelming feeling of sadness that I can't help but let it flowing into my heart, and it tightens slightly. He takes hold of both of my hands in his large ones, no once dropping his gaze. "I really think that you should cut your hair, and promise me, you would never do something as foolish as this again."

I am so, very touched. At that moment, I would have agreed to any request, however petty. "O... Of course Onii-san. I'll cut my hair, so don't be upset anymore."

"... and call me next time, instead of Kiryu-kun." Ahh, somehow it always comes back to this.

"Onii-san..." If I didn't know better, that's his attempt at emotional blackmail. "Ok..." Half-heartedly I reply, and it's working.

With that, Onii-san changes the topic and goes on to talk about the student election that is coming up. It is getting late, and the daylight is fading outside. "I need to get back. Golden week is coming up, so you should be able to get plenty of rest. I'll try to visit if I can." He waves goodbye and exits the house. Sudden realisation hits me. It's Golden Week and I'm bedridden! I flop onto the couch, deflated.

* * *

"Yo Kaname, you are a bit late home today." Takuma looks up from his book. "Don't worry, I told Ichi-devil that you were held at school concerning a student's injury."

"Thanks for covering for me Takuma." Kaname collapses onto the seat beside his step brother.

"No problems, but just so you know, I can't do it very often, so don't just run off next time."

"I know, my movements are very restricted." Kaname replies somberly.

"You also made the council worry with the way you reacted today. You stormed out without saying a word. Aido explained that it was because Yuuki was in foster care with you. Ruka was wondering if you are angry with her."

"It's not her fault, it was just an accident. Also I don't think Yuuki would like that. She seems to like the club and Ruka very much."

"Ruka would be happy to hear that." Takuma's face then turns uncharacteristically serious. "... But you know, the council members are not idiots. I didn't think they bought the foster care explanation and it's common knowledge that you have a sister. They are going to put two and two together and I doubt that this is ideal."

"You can stop pointing out all of my failings now. It was always my intention to tell them eventually." Kaname glances as Takuma coldly.

"Yeah, nice save Kaname." Takuma gives a rather sarcastic smile and goes back to reading. He is about to turn page, when he suddenly stops midtrack. "Oh Kaname, grandfather said something interesting today, and I can't quite grasp what he meant. You can probably figure it out better than me."

That piqued the dark king's interest. "Oh? go on."

"Well, he pointed out that I should have stayed with you. Then he mumbled 'in a couple of months, I wouldn't need to depend on my disgrace of a grandson'. It got me pretty worked up at the time, but then I thought, that's an odd thing to say. What could he possibly mean?"

"Yes... that is worrying..." It appears that there is a time limit to his chess game.

* * *

Father comes home and the whole explanation starts again. I really shouldn't complain that so many people care about me, but sometimes I just want a bit of peace and quiet. Kaien insists on making a big dinner, which I don't really mind. Zero is largely silent, and I don't really know what to say to him. I was put to bed early and that was that.

* * *

Zero has been carrying my bags for the past few days, while I limp along behind him. I can walk, although carrying anything or running is still out of the question. Today is the last day before Golden Week. After today it's a whole week of no school, and probably a whole week of staying at home because someone can't walk properly... I sigh. We didn't really plan anything, but just walking through the park, or going shopping would be better than nothing.

I rub my hair between my fingers. In all honesty, I have been growing it for so long that I have some attachment towards it. However it's time for it to go, it can't keep on growing forever, and shorter hair would be a lot easier to look after and do cartwheels in.

The students are fizzing with excitement, Yori is going to a hot-spring resort for the week. I'm so jealous. The day ended up being a blur. Since I am disabled, I wasn't allow to participate in any club activities. I have been sitting in the gymnastic club the last few days, and it's been getting really boring after a while. Ruka-senpai said that she finally understood what I mean by Zero being nice, and winked at me, leaving me very puzzled. The questions I got from the girls about Zero were getting annoying too. I mentioned that he is a childhood friend, and I got a lot of 'woos' and 'ahhs', like they know something I don't...

I'm unable to carry my bag but I don't want to prevent Zero from riding. So I end up hanging out in the barn today. I don't mind it really, I would've joined the equestrian club if isn't for the dung shoving. I shudder at the thought.

My eyes widen as he enters the barn. "What are you wearing?"

Zero looks rather puzzled by my question. "It is the equestrian uniform. Everyone else is wearing it here."

"Yes... well..." To be precise, it's a very Zero way of wearing it, which in all honesty ends up looking very different to how it's meant to look. The cream riding pants are neatly tucked into his knee high boots, but the masculine, vine embossed leather belt is definitely not a standard issue. His unbuttoned jacket reveals his white shirt, which is barely tucked in. The cravat that's normally present on the other riders is missing, leaving his collar carelessly open and his tattoo in full view, giving the otherwise rigid and formal attire an air of nonchalance. It feels as if the uniform was tailored to fit his tall, athletic form. His tossed silver hair gleams in the warm sunlight, and clear violet eyes are glowing with a calm confidence. I have to admit, while it's definitely bending the rules a bit, he looks ruggedly handsome. Well, I've always thought that he was handsome, but now he looks... surreal. I quickly pushes it out of my mind. "I just assumed since you picked me up at the gym club in your normal uniform that-"

"It's made on order, I didn't get it till this week. I couldn't ride at all last week because of it and all I did were barn duties. Tell me you aren't seriously that surprised."

Ok, I am an idiot. I've never observed Zero in his club before, cleaning the barn, saddling. He is at completely ease, relaxed, and in his comfort zone. He doesn't really interact with the other members, but that's Zero for you.

It's odd how White Lily seems to complement him, his silver hair and pale skin melds into Lily's ghostly mane. White against white. I can't tear my eyes away from him. He really looks like a knight in shining armor on that horse, back straight and staring into the distance. This deserves a picture.

I take out of my phone and snap. The image comes out blurry because the horse is trotting. So I try again... ah damn.

"Oh Zero!" I call after getting the aim. As predicted he stops at looks my way. _Snap._ Yes! Got it! Oh crap he is coming, must run... oh crap I can't run... mental facepalm.

"Hehe, hey there." I say nervously. He is intimidating enough by himself; him on a horse brings it to a new height.

"Did you just take a photo of me?"

"...No."

"Give me your phone."

"No!" Thank god for password protection. Ahh wait, that's not the point... "It's a really good picture ok! We don't get a lot of good picture of you 'cause you are so camera shy. It's on my phone so you don't have to worry about father blowing it up and framing it on the wall, or emailed to every family friend that we know, or put into an album so father could show everyone that visits us."

Lily, seeing the red stick moving across her face must have mistaken it for food, and grabs it with her mouth. "Oi, Lily! Give that back!" But upon realising it's not food, she spits it out on to the ground.

"My phone! My phone! Oh wait it still works... oh the photo is still there..."

I am so distracted that don't notice Zero getting off his horse, and swiftly grabbing my phone out of my hands. "There's a good girl..." He pats Lily.

That horse hates me.

Zero looks at the photo with a neutral expression. _He isn't going to delete it right? _I try to reach for it, but all he needs to do is to raise his arm. I add jumping to the many things that I can't do. "Oh if only my ankle isn't hurting..." I pout.

He is now flipping through my album. I try to recall the pictures I have in there...

"Why were you taking pictures of your hair?"

"... In memory, I think I'm going to cut it."

"Suit yourself. I guess it's either that or your life." I slap his arm; Zero winces. "For an injured person, you sure are energetic." He goes back to flipping through my album casually and then suddenly chuckles. It's rather... adorable. I just stare at him in disbelief. I get very curious as to what exactly in my photo album that's so funny, that it made the normally stoic Zero laugh. I try again to get a glimpse what he was looking at, but he just moves it out of reach.

"What's so funny?" I am getting really annoyed now.

"I didn't know you kept such a comprehensive collection of dessert porn on your phone." He scans me up and down, smirking. "It a wonder where all of it goes."

I am now trying very hard to not aim for his head with my fist. "What can I say, the desserts all look so delicious and pretty, I wanted to make a record. And I work it off ok?" Zero seems to just dismiss my comments, and continues flipping. This is rather nerve wrecking.

Then he finally closes the lid. "You can keep it as long as that freakish alien doesn't get a hold of it." Grumbles Zero, and returns my phone. Phew. He didn't delete it. That makes me smile.

I might as well take advantage of the situation. "Hey Zero, can I have a ride? It's been a while and I really enjoyed it last time."

Zero pauses for a little, then suddenly looks away. "In that?" He points to my normal uniform skirt without meeting my eyes.

I blush, realising what he is implying. Idiot. I should have mentioned beforehand! "I... I got shorts underneath." Ok so I was paranoid that I might hurt my ankle again in my precarious situation, and he might actually have to carry me with my skirt on...

Well that's awkward. I glance at him nervously, worrying that perhaps he is going to say no. In a way, things have changed; we are not children anymore.

"I guess it's ok..." He gestures for me to come over, and gives me his helmet. He then gives me a boost so I can swing my hurt leg up and around the saddle. Lily, feeling a different person on her, fidgets and nibbles on Zero's hair. I try to contain my laughter.

Zero glares at us both, and leads the white horse around the paddock. I let out a content sigh and enjoy the ride.

He walks us back to the barn, and helps me off. Ack, the feeling I had the week before came back in full force. His warmth lingers on me from catching me as I slide off the saddle, leaving me with a tingling sensation.

My mind is going through overdrive again, and wanders back to the events of the past few weeks. No, Zero is not just a friend, or a brother. He is... something else, but I'm not quite sure what that is exactly. I touch my phone, feeling quite satisfied that I have something of Zero that no one else has.

* * *

Author's note: Kaname is a bit more reckless in my story. This was mainly because I feel that he is a human boy here, and you kinda have to be a bit reckless to do something like trying to overturn a drug cartel at such a young age.

This is kinda happy, too happy? That was so much fluff. We need some happiness in this world with the manga the way it is.


End file.
